A Distant Memory (Josh Washington Fanfic)

Chapter 2: Anniversary

The bus ride to Blackwood Pines Lodge was eerily quiet. It was very different from last year. Last year, Artemis was teeming with excitement, she couldn't wait to come to the lodge. But now, she wanted to take her time going back up. Artemis couldn't help but smile sadly as she watched the trees go by. Sighing, she sat back and enjoyed the silence. She knew too well that it wouldn't be quiet when she gets to the lodge. Everyone was coming back. It was uncomfortably awkward seeing everyone. Ever since they played that cruel prank on Hannah, Artemis had been avoiding them for most of the year. All except Chris, Sam, and Josh. Josh wouldn't leave her side, not even when she was recovering from hypothermia in the hospital. Sam and Chris had visited Artemis frequently. But no one else came to check up on her. Not Matt, Not Ashley, Not Emily, Not Jessica and certainly not Mike. But Artemis doesn't care, not anymore. She isn't mad at them either, at least not anymore. Artemis always thought that being mad at someone for an eternity doesn't solve anything. Forgiveness does. As much as she wanted Hannah and Beth to come back, they weren't. And there was nothing Artemis could do but to push through the grief and pray that Hannah and Beth is safe, or at least they are having fun upstairs in the clouds.

The bus had come to a stop and there she was, back that this "Blackwood Pines Winter Getaway". Artemis thanked the bus driver and got off. She walked through the path to the large gate only to find a note.

" 'Gate's busted, Climb over! ~Chris' ," Artemis read. "Are you serious?" She huffed as she climbed over the stone wall. she choked down a squeak when she almost slipped. But she finally reached to the other side. Artemis jumped from the wall and groaned. Walking to the lodge seemed endless, like walking in a haze of memories. Certainly not good ones.

As she walks through the dense forest, Artemis' hair stood up, tingling with unknown fright. Maybe it was the cold that sent her nerves on end. Or maybe because she had felt eyes boring into the back of her neck. She quickly turned around to see nothing but the snow covered foliage. She quickened her steps until she reached the cable car station. She turned around to breathe in heavily, trying to loosen the nerves.

"Is that Artemis I see?" Artemis nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned around to see Sam and Chris.

With a smile she said, "Is that Christopher and Samantha I see?"

"Why yes, yes it is!" Chris spoke with a snobbish accent. He grinned happily, "Oh come here you!" Chris bear hugged Artemis. Chris let go with a small tired smile. He knew how hard it was for her to come back. For anyone to come back for that matter.

"It's really good to see you Artemis. I'm so glad you can make it," Sam gave a small tight hug and gave the same tired smile.

"It's good to see you guys too," Artemis laughed lightly.

"Oh, so, I found something, kinda amazing," Chris said, puffing his chest up proudly. Sam and Artemis looked at each other briefly with a concerned glance before following Chris.

Artemis stopped midway to come to the conclusion that Chris was taking them to the shooting range. She saw it in the distance.

"What the hell is a shooting range doing at the base of a ski lodge?" Sam exclaimed.

"Uhh, dude, have you met Josh's dad?"

Artemis chuckled lightly before turning her back to them. Let them have their fun. Artemis was reminiscing. She remembers all the fun times she had with the group. Hell, she even remembers how they all first met.

~Flashback~

Artemis sat down at her usual seat in the dining hall of her college. As she ate the same chicken cutlet she always ordered, she studied for her upcoming test. That's all she seemed to do; study, study, and more study. Her parents pushed her to be the very best, and that's what she intends to do. So there was no time to lounge around and "party". Besides, Artemis wasn't really a party person.

She looked at the clock and sighed. She decided to call it a day and go back to her dorm. But just as she stood up, someone crashed into her, spilling spaghetti all over her white sweater.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" The person exclaimed.

"Nice goin' Hannah," A guy snickered.

"Shut up Mike, it was clearly an accident," said a girl who looked just like the girl who bumped into Artemis.

"No, it's fine," Artemis smiled, "I'm sorry for not watching where I was going."

Artemis looked towards the girl who spilled her lunch on her. She had medium-shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. She wore  onyx-black rectangular glasses. Surrounding her must have been her friends, there were eight in total.

"I'm so sorry, let me clean it for you," she said with an embarrassed smile. Artemis waved her hand in protest. She couldn't ask for such a thing. "Please? I feel really bad for spilling my lunch on you." She chuckled wearily.

"Okay, if it makes you feel better," Artemis said.

"Great! My name is Hannah and this is my twin sister Beth. Come to our dorm so I can clean this up for you," Hannah wrote her dorm number on a piece of paper and gave it to her with a bright smile. Artemis nodded and watched as the group of friends walk out of the dining hall. She walked out to go to her dorm to change. She didn't want to show up with the same spaghetti smeared white sweater.

~Later that day~

She double checked the paper Hannah had given her and sighed. She knocked on the door twice and heard Hannah say, "I'm coming!" The door swung opened to show Hannah and Beth with a guy.

"Oh, am I interrupting something? I could come later if you want?"

"No, no, It's fine!" Hannah said. "Here let me get that sweater and throw it in the wash. Come in and make yourself comfortable."

Artemis sat on the pink and purple bed. "Hello, I don't think I introduced myself yet. My name is Artemis Gray." she reached out and was going to shake Beth's hand, but the man took her hand and shook her hand.

"Hi, my name is Joshua Washington. But you can call me Josh," He smiled.

~Present Day~

The voice of Chris pulled her back into today. "You comin' or not Artemis? The cable car is on its way!" Chris said.

"Coming," Artemis shouted. She jogged to Chris' and Sam's side and walked to the cable car. She sighed and watched the mist of her breathe. She had packed extra layers just in case. You never know what will happen, and frankly, Artemis hoped that this getaway would be the most boring thing she went to. She doesn't want another "adventure" like before . . . .

Never again . . . .